Beer: Ratings & Reviews

It has been two horrific days in a row and at some point in the day, my thoughts turned to all of that nice beer awaiting me at home. Who needs a wife, a girlfriend or a pet or any combination of those when you have beer?

From the bottle: "We're turingin things deliciously upside down with an aggressively hopped cold-fermented brew that brings together the clean crisp finish of a lager with the hoppy aroma and character of an IPA. Prost! to turning convention on its head. [undersigned] Kurt [&] Rob".; "Rotator IPA Series Our Rotating Collection of Uncommonly Great IPAs".

Man, I was anxious! I popped the cap, got an aggro pour going and I was off to the races, baby! Two dense, foamy fingers of French Vanilla-colored head with great retention and I had to wait. It looked like the top of an ice cream cone before it began to fall. Color was a deep, golden-yellow with NE-plus quality clarity, allowing me to see into the future. I will be drinking beer! SRM = 5 to 6 and the triumvirate of Croesus, Mammon and King Midas were all slathering. Not today, boys. Nose smelled like the interior of a pine forest. This is a lager?!? What hath man wrought? Mouthfeel was big, full and creamy, soft as well and the pine hops were like everything of Baby Bear's - just right. Man, I wonder how long they had to tweak this recipe becuase it could have easily been overpowered by the hops. One long draught later and sticky lacing was already beginning to appear. Finish was, indeed, clean and crisp with a lingering taste of hops. Gimme more!

This beer I might like just a little too much. Dortmunder golden in color, thin yet persistent white skeined head, with very modest lacing.

The smell is hoppy, with just a tiny touch of sulfur. Lemony skunkiness and a bit of sweet pilsener-y aroma.

The taste is hard to pin down, because it is the odd lager that isn't horrible as it approaches 55F. Cold it is crisp and citrusy hoppy, with a honeyed acidity that I find in my favorite IPAs, but I can't quite place. As it warms, lemon and citrus hops with a noble clean herbal character showing before and after the main american hop presence. On the warm end of drinkable it's very hoppy, but the touch of sulfur really invokes a Czech Pils rather than American IPA.

The mouthfeel is balanced in body, perhaps the heavy side of medium bodied, with the honey acidity playing up the lightness and carbonation.

I really love this beer, and it's an incredible bargain in VA, going for $8 a six when most craft sixes have creeped up to $10.

Picked this up from the Widmer's brewery. An Indian Styled Pale Lager...I classified as an IPA since it is part of Widmer's Rotator IPA Series. Poured from the bottle....clear looking amber color and a decent one finger head. This is a weird one from a smell and taste perspective. Has all the crisp clean features you like from a lager, but there is a nice follow through of hops that makes it a much more interesting beer. I think this is a very good beer...Widmer's did well on this one.